Nailless horseshoe.



J. A. HALE.

v NAILLESS HORSESHOE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1913.

1,087,877. I Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

fi 138 v @7772 I zZdf/Q COLUMBIA PLANounAPH CO4. WASHINGTON, n, c:

WNHTEM @TATES F E 1 FllChl.

JOHN A. HALE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SUCCESS NAILLESSHGRSESHOE GOMPANY, OF PORTLA.1\TD, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF 11511111151.

NAILLESS HORSESHOE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. HALE, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of lllassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inNailless Horseshoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to horseshoes which are secured to the hoofwithout the use of nails, and it has for its object to provide a shoe,not only of nailless construction, but also adapted to expand the hoofto any extent. that may be required in order to prevent injuriouscrowding of the frog and interference with its proper action.

The invention is embodied in the improved construction which I will nowproceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 represents a top plan view of ahorseshoe embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a bottom plan viewof the same. Fig. 3 represents a rear end view. Fig. 4 represents a sideor edge view. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1. 7 represents a section online 7? of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 represents a fragmentary section on the planeof line 8-8 of Fig. 5. Figs. 9 and 10 represent plan views of themembers of the extensible bar hereinafter referred to. Fig. 11represents a section on line 1111 of Fig. 1. Fig. 12 represents a sideview and Fig. 13 represents a rear view of the hoof provided with a shoeembodying my invention. Fig. 14: represents a bottom plan View of ahorses hoof without a shoe.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

The bottom of a horses hoof presents the appearance represented by Fig.1 1, the outer wall a, of the hoof joining the rear ends of the ribs 6,Z) which constitute the frog frame between which the frog 0 is located.My improved shoe hereinafter described is pro vided with means forengaging the inner sides of the frog frame at the heel portion of thehoof and thus expanding the hoof to the proper proportions, such meansconstituting an important and chief characteristic of my invention.

The drawings represent a shoe composed of two body members 12, hingedtogether at the toe portion, the hinge pin being shown Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed November 1, 1913.

Patented Feb. 1'1, 19141.

Serial No. 798,692.

at 13 and the hinge being of such construction that the heel ends of themembers 12 are adapted to swing toward and from each other. The hingeincludes the novel features of construction which I will describe morefully hereinafter.

The upper side of the shoe is provided with upstanding spurs 14 adaptedto be bent inwardly and engage the external surface of the wall of thehoof, said. spurs being practically at right angles with the shoe priorto its attachment to the hoof, and be ing bent'inwardly after theapplication of the shoe to the hoof, as indicated by Figs. 12 and 13.

Between the heel ends of the members 12 is interposed an extensible barwhich is engaged with the said heel ends and is adapted to engage theinner sides of the frog frame at the heel portion thereof so that whenthe bar is elongated. its elongation will expand the hoof.

The bar is preferably composed of two members 15 and 16 shown separatelyby Figs. 9 and 10. These members are slidable upon each other. Themember 15 is provided at its opposite edges with raised ribs or guides17 between which the longitudinal edges of the member 16 are movable.The member 15 is also provided with tapped orifices 18 adapted toreceive set screws 19, the heads of which are adapted to bear on theunder side of the member 16 at opposite edges thereof, the member 16having recesses 20 which accommodate the set screws 19 and permitsliding movements of the bar members relatively to each other. When theset screws are loosened, the bar members 15 and 16 are freely movable tovary the length of the bar, and when said screws are tightened, theyclamp the two members firmly together and hold the bar at the desiredadjustment or elongation.

Each of the members 16 and 17 is provided with a tapped socket 21extending inwardly from its outer end. The heel portion of each of thebody members 12 is provided with an adjusting screw 22, said screwsbeing journaled in sockets or bearings formed for their reception in themembers 12 and provided with heads 23 adapted to be engaged by a wrench,and with flanges 24: bearing on shoulders 25 in said sockets. Thethreaded portions of the screws 22 engage the tapped orifices 21 in thebar members and are adapted, when the set screws 19 are loosened, tomove the bar members 15 and 16 in opposite directions and thus elongatethe bar. The bar members are provided on their upper sides with upwardlyprojectin spurs or ears 26 which are adapted to engage opposite sides ofthe frog frame Z2 at substantially the points indicated by the referenceletters 6, e in Fig. 14. Said spurs are preferably sharpened at theirupper ends and adapted to embed them selves in the sides of the frogframe so that when the bar is elongated, the spurs 26 exert pressure onthe frog frame tending to expand the hoof. The frog frame engaging endsof the spurs 26 are preferably provided with shoulders 27 below thepenetrating edges, said shoulders limiting the penetration of the frogframe by the spurs and preventing the spurs from entering too deeply.

The outer ends of the bar members 15 and 16 are provided with outwardlyprojecting steady pins 28 which enter sockets 29 (Fig. 5) formed fortheir reception in the heel end portions of the shoe members 12, saidsteady pins being arranged to prevent the bar from turning on theadjusting screws 22. The sockets 29 which receive the steady pins arepreferably oblong in cross section, so that the steady pins will not becaused to bind in said socket by expanding and contracting movements ofthe shoe sections 12.

The described shoe may be attached to a hoof as follows :--The spurs 14being upright as indicated by Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 11, and the set screws19 loosened, the operator applies the shoe to the bottom of the hoof,the latter having been suitably trimmed to prepare it for the shoe. Therear body spurs 1%, or those nearest the heel ends of the body members12, are located nearer the toe end of the shoe than the bar spurs 26, sothat when the shoe is located on the hoof the rear body spurs bear onthe hoof wall at points 6, 6, Fig. 14c, which are out of alinement withand forward of the points 6, e on which the bar spurs bear. hen all thebody spurs 14 bear against the lower edge of the hoof wall, theadjusting screws- 22 are turned in the directions required to slide thebar members 15 and 16 in opposite directions and thus elongate the barand cause the bar spurs 26 to exert expanding pressure on the frog frameat the points 6, 6. At the same time the rear body spurs 1a are pressedclosely against the exterior of the hoof at the points 6, a so that thehoof is confined against expansion between the last-mentioned points. Itfollows therefore that the hoof is expanded between the points 6, e bythe outward pressure of the bar spurs at said points. It is advisable tolimit the expansion caused by any one operation to about one-eighth ofan inch. The bar having been suitably elongated, the set screws 19 aretightened to maintain the elongation and the expansion of hoof causedthereby. The spurs 14 are then bent inwardly, these spurs and themembers 12 of the shoe being of malleable metal so that the spurs may bebent inwardly by blows of a hammer with out heating the shoe. The shoemay be readily removed by disconnecting one'of its members 12 from thebar by withdrawing one of the adjusting screws 22, the shoe being thenadapted to be opened and removed. The hoof may be additionally expandedat any time by loosening the set screws 19 and turning the adjustingscrews 22 to further elongate the bar. This operation may be re peateduntil the ends of the bar are brought into contact with the body members12. I consider it good practice, when the hoof has been considerablycontracted, to slightly expand the hoof at more or less frequentintervals, say once a week.

The hinge connecting the shoe members 12 is composed of two spaced apartears 30 formed on one of the members, said ears having pin-receivingorifices 31 7), and a single ear 32 formed on the other member, said earhaving a pin-receiving orilice 38. iVhen the ear is inserted between theears 30, the orifices 31 and 33 are in alinement with each other, andreceive the hinge pin 13. The member having the spaced ears 30 isprovided with a recess 3 1 communicating with the space between the ears30, and the single ear 32 is provided with a tongue 35 which enters saidrecess and bears losely against the sides thereof. The recess 34 andtongue 35 constitute means for reinforcing the hinge and relieving thepin 15 from bending or buckling strain. As indicated by dotted lines inFigs. 1 and 2 the recess is wider than the tongue and permits lateralplay of the tongue so that the width of the shoe may be reduced fromthat shown by said figures, the maximum contraction of the shoe beingreached only when the inner edge of the tongue 21 abuts against theinner edge of the recess.

The shoe may be provided wit-hoalks of any suitable construction andarrangement. I have here shown an elongated toe calk 37 formed on themeeting ends of the members 12, heel calks 38 formed on the heel ends ofthe members 12, and intermediate calks 39 between the calks 37 and 38,these intermediate calks being arranged to support the side portions ofthe shoe andprevent strain on the hin 'e pin.

I am the first, so far as I am aware, to provide a nailless expansiblehorseshoe with means for positively expanding the hoof. The advantagesof this feature of my im proved shoe are obvious without furtherexplanation. It may be said in addition, however, that the constructionwhich permits the expansion of the hoof also permits its contraction incase the hoof has been unduly expanded particularly at the toe portion,which is often the case. In contracting the expanded hoof, the operatorfirst loosens the set screws 19, contracts or reduces the length of thebar and the distance between the spurs 26 so that the spurs do notclosely engage the frog frame at the points 6, c, then tightens the setscrews to prevent further contraction of the bar, and finally operatesthe adjusting screws to force the shoe members 12 inwardly toward theends of the contracted bar, thus causing the spurs 14 of said members tocontract the hoof and press the frog frame at e, 0, into engagement withthe spurs 26.

I claim 1. A nailless horseshoe composed of body members hinged togetherat the forward portion of the shoe, and provided with means for engagingthe exterior of the wall of a hoof, and an extensible bar interposedbetween and engaged with the heel ends of the body members and providedwith means for engaging the inner sides of the rear portion of the frogframe of the hoof, means being provided for elongating said bar tosimultaneously expand the hoof and shoe, and for holding the bar at anylength to which it may be adjusted.

2. A nailless horseshoe composed of body members hinged together at theforward portion of the shoe, and provided with means for engaging theexterior of the wall of a hoof, an extensible bar composed of twomembers slidably engaged with eachother, each member having on its upperside a spur adapted to engage the rear portion of the frog frame of ahoof and in its outer end a tapped socket, and adjusting screwsjournaled in the heel portions of the body members and engaging thetapped sockets, whereby the bar members may be adjusted to elongate thebar and expand the hoof and shoe, means being provided whereby the barmembers may be rigidly connected to maintain any desired elongation ofthe bar.

3. A nailless horseshoe composed of body members hinged together at theforward portion of the shoe, and provided with means for engaging theexterior of'the wall of a hoof, and an extensible bar composed of twomembers slidably engaged with each other and provided with means wherebythey may be rigidly connected, each member having a spur for engagingthe inner side of the frog frame of a hoof, a tapped socket extendinginwardly from its outer end, and a steady pin projecting outwardly fromits outer end, and adjusting screws journaled in the heel portions ofthe body members and engaging the tapped sockets, said heel portionsbeing provided with ori fices in which the steady pins are slidable.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN A. HALE.

WVitnesses C. F. BROWN, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Gople: of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C.

